Saturday, January 16, 2016

Sports Illustrated Sweetheart

Katherine Elizabeth Upton (born June 10, 1992), better known as Kate Upton, is one of the most glamorous and notable models in the business today.

Kate has become a household name and has been in publications from Victoria's Secret catalog to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Kate Upon on her third Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover in 2017.

Kate also has had her share of controversy along the way, though most of it is not of her doing.

Kate Upton.

Let's take a deeper look at the delightful Kate Upton.

Kate Upon was born in St. Joseph, Michigan.

Upton moved to Melbourne, Florida at a young age.

Kate's uncle is a long-time U.S. Representative, Fred Upton (R-MI).

Fred is the former Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. He is a big deal in Washington. And Michigan, which he represented.

Kate's great-grandfather (Fred) and his brother Lou are credited with inventing the modern washing machine. That's right, the washing machine in your washroom came from Kate's family.

Kate went to Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy.

She was a championship equestrian as a teen.

Kate won three American Paint Horse Association Reserve World Championships.

Kate is a hugely successful model. Some claim that she is the poster girl for Grand Theft Auto V, even though the company that made the game, Rockstar Games, claims that they used another model as the template for the cover.

It was just a coincidence that the other model was the spitting image of Kate Upton. Never crossed their minds that there was any similarity. And the cover of the game helped it to break records. Go figure.

Kate got into modeling by answering a casting call by Elite Model Management in Miami in 2008.

Elite was impressed and signed her that day.

Kate is an opinionated lady who is not afraid to say what she thinks on Twitter.

For instance, Kate tweeted her displeasure about a plan by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio to cap car-sharing service Uber's growth.

Kate may have more clout than we know about, because the very same day, De Blasio dropped his plan. Kate Upton gets results!

Upton has been on numerous covers, including the following just in the United States:

If you spotted that Kate has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated a few times, you have good eyes. So far, Upton has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated three times (2012, 2013, 2017). She also was in the magazine in 2011 (Rookie of the Year), 2014, and 2018, though not on the cover. She skipped 2015 and 2016. So, as of 2018, three covers and six appearances in total, which is legendary. And there are certain to be more to come.

Kate has not walked in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, but she has been in the print catalog.

In fact, there is a story behind Kate and Victoria's Secret. And here we go with some of that controversy.

In fact, there was a very big controversy over why Kate was not chosen to appear in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Kate Upton has very ardent fans, and they want to see Kate. Victoria's Secret stylist Sophia Neophitou, however, is not among those fans. Sophia told the New York Times:

"She’s like a Page 3 girl. She’s like a footballer’s wife, with the too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy."

Strangely, enough, Victoria's Secret then published an old photo of Kate Upton on the back of its catalog - technically making Kate the Victoria's Secret model that the lady said she could never be. So, there could have been some disagreement within Victoria's Secret itself about her qualifications. Or, maybe they just wanted to make it up to Kate.

Kate took the high road in response to the unprovoked attack by the Victoria's Secret lady. Kate said she had never met Sophia. She got in her own little dig by adding:

"…I don't think anything she said was that mean. Gisele's a football player's wife. Gisele's in that category so I'm good. I'm doing fine in my career, I don't need to walk down their runway so it's all good. She can think that and I can think whatever I want about her."

Kate also said:

I had just gotten my (first) cover of Sports Illustrated [when I heard the diss]. I wasn't used to that kind of media swirl. I had never met [Sophia Neophitou], so it really came out of nowhere.

The incident obviously rankled Upton, however.

Kate continued to comment on the slight for some time. She now sees the whole incident as a learning experience:

"I had never met her, so it really came out of nowhere. It was my introduction to being in the spotlight and having people you've never met have an opinion of you."

So there, Sophia!

Kate is a three-time cover girl for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and appears in it every year. So far, she has been in four straight appearances, but that could stretch to many more. Kate says that she "looks forward to [the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition] shoots every year." However, the photography experience has not always been completely positive for her:

After my first Sports Illustrated cover, I felt terrible about myself for a solid month. People deal with models like they are children. They think they can pull one over on you. I'm not a toy; I'm a human. I'm not here to be used.

She also froze during her shoot in Antarctica, remembering that she could only pose for a few seconds at a time before running back into the heated area.

Kate is famous for her dancing, too. Her "Cat Daddy" video for photographer Terry Richardson went ultra-viral in 2012 and, some say, propelled her to stardom.

Kate says she had no idea Terry Richardson would post her "Cat Daddy" online video online, telling Vogue UK, "I was like, that was disrespectful, you could have told me!" Kate now claims the video was shot for fun, and that she never thought it would be uploaded to YouTube for millions to enjoy. Most people don't complain when their videos go viral.

Kate Upton from her Sports Illustrated cover shoot in Antarctica.

Kate was said to have been dating Justin Verlander for several years. They finally married on 4 November 2017.

Kate's favorite team, though, is the New York Yankees, for whom Verlander has never played.

Kate has turned to the thespian arts. Her first film was "Tower Heist," in which she played a mistress.

Kate wishes everyone a Happy Easter!

Other films she has appeared in include "The Three Stooges" and "The Other Woman." In 2017 alone, Kate Upton released three films: "The Layover," The Disaster Artist" and "Wild Man." She often appears as herself on Television on shows like "Entertainment Tonight Canada" (2018), "Access Hollywood" (2017), and "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" (2015-2017).

Kate also appears on television, too, though usually as herself.

Kate was named Model of the Year for 2013 by Style Awards.

Kate was named People Magazine's Sexiest Woman in 2014.

Kate has a cross tattooed on the inside of her finger.

Kate has co-hosted for Kelly Ripa on "Live! with Kelly and Michael."

Kate was on the flip-side cover of the 2014 50th anniversary Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the first time that type of cover was used by that magazine. So, while three other models occupied the front side, Kate alone had the backside all to herself.

Some of the shots were done on the famous plane that simulated zero gravity that flies out of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Kate appeared in Lady Antebellum's music video "Bartender."

Kate Upton now is a legend of modeling. There is no question that she will be around for decades to come like all of the greats, gracing us with her style and presence.